Author: Paula Stokes


Monday, July 16, 2018

Giveaway: Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes

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Hi guys! We are huge fans of Paula Stokes over here so we’re really honored and excited to be bringing you a giveaway for Paula’s latest book! It’s a return to mystery and it sounds amazing! Turning over to Paula now!

Paula: Hi peeps 🙂 A big thank you to Rashika and Giselle for having me on Xpresso Reads to talk about my forthcoming mystery, HIDDEN PIECES, releasing on Aug 28. Of course there is a giveaway, but first here’s a little info about the book in case you’re unfamiliar.

Giveaway: Hidden Pieces by Paula StokesHidden Pieces by Paula Stokes
Published by HarperTeen on August 28th, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, YA
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

“Stokes delivers a classic whodunit, masterfully played.” –ALA Booklist, starred review

Embry Woods has secrets. Small ones about her past. Bigger ones about her relationship with town hero Luke and her feelings for someone new. But the biggest secret she carries with her is about what happened that night at the Sea Cliff Inn. The fire. The homeless guy. Everyone thinks Embry is a hero, too, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Embry thinks she’ll have to take the secret to her grave, until she receives an anonymous note—someone else knows the truth. Next comes a series of threatening messages, asking Embry to make impossible choices, forcing her to put her loved ones at risk. Someone is playing a high stakes game where no one in Embry’s life is safe. And their last move...is murder.

Character Profiles

Embry:

Embry Woods is an 18-year-old girl who likes photography and the ocean, but isn’t sure what she’s going to do after she graduates from high school. Her mom is recovering from breast cancer, and even though she’s in remission now, Embry worries obsessively about her. Embry and her military boyfriend decided to take a break when he deployed overseas, but he’s made it clear he’s still in love with her so she feels horribly guilty that she’s started seeing someone else…who just happens to be her best friend’s Julia’s ex-boyfriend. Embry knows she should tell both of them the truth, but she can’t figure out a way to do it without losing someone important from her life. The fire at the start of the story adds to Embry’s feelings of guilt and helplessness and it takes being pushed to the very edge by a threatening stranger for Embry to find the courage to do finally what’s right. But will she change her ways before someone she loves pays the ultimate price?

Embry’s mom:

Claire Woods is a 38-year-old woman who got pregnant with Embry at age 19 by an older married man. A scandal ensued, resulting in Embry’s father moving away with his family and Claire becoming the town pariah. Despite that, she has always believed that Embry is the very best thing in her life and she would do anything for her daughter. Gradually, people got over Claire’s “bad behavior” and she returned to work at the family café, which she now owns, though she took the summer off from running it to recover from her radiation and surgery.

Holden:

Holden Hassler is an 18-year-old vegan who enjoys reading and painting. (Yes, he’s a quintessential Portland boy, minus the man bun). He’s also one of the smartest kids at Tillamook High. Despite that, he’s not interested in going to college and is considering trying to get an apprenticeship at an auto repair shop in town because he currently works at the gas station and enjoys fixing cars. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mom, a local police officer, so he spends a lot of time trying (and failing) to stay out of trouble. The word on the street is that he looks like a young Jared Leto, but I’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Julia:

Julia Worthington has been Embry’s best friend since she and her family moved to Three Rocks during middle school. The girls spent all their free time at the beach in seventh and eighth grade, but as they got older they developed different interests and have started to grow apart. Julia wants to work in politics someday so she spent the previous summer interning with a think tank in Washington D.C. She plans to attend Harvard or Georgetown to major in political science and is currently working on applications for both.

Betsy:

Betsy is a Golden Retriever and very good (okay, mostly good) doggo. But animal lovers, rest easy, nothing bad happens to her during the book, unless you count the time she has to do her business outside in the rain.

About the Author




Paula Stokes writes stories about flawed characters with good hearts. She’s the author of several novels, most recently Vicarious and Girl Against the Universe. Her writing has been translated into eleven foreign languages. Paula loves kayaking, hiking, reading, and seeking out new adventures in faraway lands She also loves interacting with readers.

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Giveaway!

One (1) winner receives:
Copy of the book

  • OPEN INT! U.S. winner will receive a signed ARC and INT winner will receive pre-order + signed bookplate mailed separately.
  • Xpresso Reads will not be responsible for any lost/damaged items
  • You must be 13+ or have parental permission to participate
  • No Cheating Allowed
  • A new winner will be picked if the initial winner does not respond within 48 hours.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway: Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

Posted by on 05/19/2017 • 23 Comments

Hi everyone! Today we are partnering with Paula Stokes to giveaway a copy GIRL AGAINST THE UNIVERSE to one lucky winner! GIRL AGAINST THE UNIVERSE was one of my favorite books of 2016 and honestly such an important book. It does such a great job talking about mental health issues and also has an incredibly swoony romance.

 

About the Book

Paula: Hi everyone! Girl Against the Universe releases in paperback on June 6, 2017 and I’m so excited about that I decided to do an entire blog tour of giveaways to celebrate! In the story, main character Maguire creates her own list of seven challenges to help her overcome her fears. This week I have seven challenges for you, and seven chances to win a shiny GATU paperback 😀 These…

5 Reasons Why You Should Read Vicarious by Paula Stokes

Posted by on 08/24/2016 • 6 Comments

If you read Paula Stokes’ guest post on the blog the other day, you’ll know that it is not secret that she is a talented writer but Vicarious blows that out of the water. Liars, Inc. was the last thriller she wrote and one I rated 4.5 stars because of how amazing it but Vicarious is EVEN better and kept me EVEN more at the edge of my seat and holy crap the climax of this novel almost killed me. 

5 Reasons Why You Should Read Vicarious

1. The main character. Stokes’ always writes great characters and this book is no exception. Winter is a complex character with a backstory that will make you want to shelter her from the world. Winter is BADASS but her past has left a…

Review: Liars Inc by Paula Stokes

Review: Liars Inc by Paula Stokes

Posted by on 03/05/2015 • 13 Comments

If you’re looking for a YA mystery with an interesting premise and cast of characters, you need not look far because Liars Inc pretty much distinguishes itself from the rest effortlessly. I mean, look at the following factors and I dare you not to get excited, because I’m pretty sure you will:

✓ A male hero that actually feels like an authentic male hero ✓ A half-Indian love interest who is so comfortable with her sensuality ✓ A premise that revolves around lies and covering one’s ass with more lies ✓ A whodunit murder mystery that involves getting arrested by the FBI (or, trying not to)…

Okay, maybe the last bit is something we’ve seen a couple of times in other books, but the first three are stuff I haven’t seen yet,…

Review: The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

Review: The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

Posted by on 05/13/2014 • 21 Comments

The Art of Lainey is a cute, heartwarming book with a genuine love story that gives the finger to insta-love. This is just a happy-making kind of read that leaves you with a smile on your face and butterflies in your stomach!

Lainey’s boyfriend just broke up with her, and like any teenage girl she feels as if it was the end of the world. She takes on her friend’s advice to follow The Art of War strategies and get him back. It’s a fun premise and being familiar somewhat with The Art of War I thought it was interesting to have that be a part of the story. It gave it this extra layer of depth that I appreciated. As for Lainey herself, though, she could be very frustrating…